


Coup d'état

by victorarmitage



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Dubious Consent, Historical, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-07 05:19:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8784682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victorarmitage/pseuds/victorarmitage
Summary: Set in the late 80's. The end of the Soviet Union is approaching and America finds out in the worst way possible that Russia isn't taking it well.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Country and character names used interchangeably. Extremely dubious consent.

America sighed as he sat down on a chair. He tried wiping the blood on his hands on his pants but found that they were soaked already. He looked down at the CIA operative that he had had for a companion since arriving in South America. Cpt. Daniels had been a Kentucky boy who’d learned his way around a gun hunting rabbits with his brother and later used those skills to rise in the Army. He’d caught the attention of Langley shortly after his last tour and had been quite a good agent. He’d also just bled out while his country desperately tried to keep him alive.

Alfred looked into his opaque dead eyes. He’d watched the light go out of them just seconds ago and he still thought that somehow any moment now they’d look back at him like they had before. He listened carefully for a sound. All he needed was a small little sound of breath and he’d jump back on the young man in a desperate bid to save him.

He heard a ragged breath but it didn’t come from the Captain. He finally looked away from Daniels to scan the room. They’d been ambushed by five KGB operatives in the hotel room they’d been staying at. They obviously didn’t know they’d been dealing with a country or they wouldn’t have made the mistake of only sending five. They had managed to dispatch the operatives but Daniels had been caught up in the crossfire between them. America looked from operative to operative to see who it was that was still breathing while his Kentucky boy lay on the floor getting colder by the moment.

The first two men had come in with their weapons at the ready hoping to catch the Americans by surprise. Alfred had slammed the first of the men against the wall and heard his neck snap. The second had reached for his gun as Cpt. Daniels shot him twice at center mass. If he was the one still alive he wouldn’t live for long. The last three had returned fire from the doorway as the Americans dove for cover. One had managed to hit Alfred in the knee before the nation had reached his gun. Cpt. Daniels had shot that man in the stomach and the man behind him in the leg before taking a bullet to the chest and another in the arm. The last remaining KBG operative had taken two shots to the head by Alfred. The other operative previously shot in the leg had been finished off by Alfred with a point blank shot in the head before he’d focused on Cpt. Daniels. That meant that the only man unaccounted for had been the one shot in the stomach.

Alfred found him just outside of the doorway in the hall. He’d managed to crawl a few feet but he hadn’t had the strength to continue. He pulled the man back into the room. His eyes were wild with fear and pain.

“Do you speak English?” asked Alfred as he grabbed his emergency supply case. He inspected it to see that his gun, ammunition and money were all in order. He’d have to get out of the hotel as quickly as he could.

The operative looked back at him in panic. His injuries were bad but he could still survive if he were taken immediately to a hospital.

“Do you speak English?” repeated Alfred again as clearly as he could. He changed his clothing as he spoke. “You need help if you’re going to live but I won’t give it to you unless I get something in return.”

“Please,” said the man in heavily accented English.

“Good. I need to know where Vanya is. Do you know?”

The man shook his head but Alfred had seen the light of recognition when he’d said the name. Vanya was a common nickname but he was well aware that as far as the KGB and GRU were concerned there was only one Vanya they needed to worry about. “You won’t make it much longer without help. If you survive today you can worry tomorrow about surviving him.”

The man shook his head again. “I do not know.”

Alfred looked down at his watch. It’d already been easily 5 minutes since the attack. The second wave of operatives hadn’t shown up so this might be an isolated cell. If it was he might still be able to leave without running into anyone but he had to leave very soon.

“Last chance,” said Alfred looking back at the man.

“I do not know,” he said again. “We were just sent to kill the other man. That is all we were told.”

“You succeeded,” said Alfred raising his gun and shooting the operative between the eyes. The man didn’t even have time to react before his life was snuffed out.

When he’d been younger he might have felt bad about lying to the man but he’d grown used to it with time. He also knew he couldn’t leave the man alive without alerting Russia to his presence. He’d known that from the moment he’d realized he was alive but it hadn’t stopped him from trying to use the man. It was a cold action but it was really the only one available to him.

He didn’t even pause to think about the information he had just gotten from him before leaving the room. The CIA would no doubt have a theory as to why Daniels was targeted but for the moment he needed to get moving. All that currently mattered is that the man had reacted to Ivan’s name. He needed to get somewhere safe so he could figure out why the Russian was here. He made his way down the stairs and into the hotel lobby. He was no longer covered in blood but he hadn’t looked in the mirror. Some signs of a struggle might still be visible. He went to the back of the hotel to exit through the kitchens.

He’d just made it into the hotel alley when he was suddenly pushed up against the building. He turned quickly to see who had pushed him and realized as he saw the blood on the wall next to him that he hadn’t been pushed at all. He’d been shot with a gun so powerful that his body had been slammed against the building. He looked himself over in confusion but couldn’t see where he’d been shot. He knew he had to get inside or run but he couldn’t seem to focus. He just kept looking himself over trying to find where the blood had come from. Someone finally came up behind him and pushed him to the ground as they slammed a needle in his arm. As he felt them hold him down he finally felt the wetness on his back. Oh well, at least he knew where the scar would be.

He came to what felt like days later but couldn’t have been more than a few hours. He was sitting on a stool with his hands behind his back. He could see a red spot on his knee where the bullet wound had bled through. The blood had dried and turned a dark brown but it still ached. The same day then.

He focused on the floor as his head was still swimming. He tried to clear his mind but all he could focus on were the details of the room. The floor was concrete and had been swept often. It was polished from all the care even though it wasn’t well made. People had been walking on it recently and had left dirt from heavy boots on it. No doubt the caretaker would resent that.

Alfred managed to lift his head up a bit to look forward at least. He found the room he was in had a window. That was nice. They might prove important for his future. He heard a noise to his left and was just thinking of trying to make the effort to look in that direction when Ivan walked to stand in front of him.

Alfred smiled. He was feeling very confused right now and anything familiar was appreciated. “Hello Vanya.”

Ivan smiled pleasantly back. “Hello Alfred. You’ve gotten yourself into some trouble.”

“Not me,” said Alfred looking Ivan over. “I’m not even officially here.”

“Of course,” said Russia with that same smile. “I meant to say that Captain Jones has gotten himself in a bit of trouble.”

America thought this over. It made some sense but not a lot. “My head is weird. Can you help me?”

Ivan thought this over before walking away. Alfred thought he’d left for good and grew worried for him. He felt something bite him in the arm and looked down at it. Russia had poked him with a needle.

“That should make you feel better,” said Ivan walking away again.

Alfred waited but didn’t think he felt any better. He looked down at the brown stain on his pants and wondered if Russia would make fun of him for it. He opened his mouth to ask and threw up instead. He convulsed a second time and the sudden movements made the world spin. He closed his eyes and tried not to throw up any more. It was very hard.

Something cold and wet touched his face and tried to clean him up. It felt nice. Hands then unbuttoned his shirt and cleaned his chest. He could smell the vodka on Ivan’s breath even at this distance. He wondered how many hours ago the Russian had started drinking. By the time Russia finished cleaning him he could reason a little more clearly but he still didn’t dare open his eyes.

“That made me feel worse,” said America with a frown.

“Do you want more pain killers?” asked Russia from somewhere to his left.

“No. Let’s talk first,” said Alfred. He could feel a small breeze on the areas Ivan had cleaned and they felt great in the summer heat. “What do you want with me?”

“I am not sure,” said Ivan. “I didn’t expect to find you here.”

“Bullshit. You set a trap for me at the hotel.”

“My information said the CIA agent was accompanied by a blonde man. I thought my five agents would take you both out.”

Alfred managed to squint at Ivan. “You wouldn’t have been waiting with a shotgun in the alley if that were true. You sacrificed those men to make me think I hadn’t been identified.”

“You’re feeling a lot better,” said Ivan warmly.

“Your agent said they were told to kill Daniels. You knew they wouldn’t manage to take me out but you wanted me to exit into the alley way.”

Ivan nodded. “They were told to kill the CIA agent and run. If you were who I thought you were you would follow them into the alley. I got lucky that you chose the same way to leave.”

Which meant Daniels wouldn’t have died if Alfred hadn’t been with him. He felt too sick to feel guilty but he knew it would come. “So, what do you want with me?”

Russia laughed. “I truly do not know. I just thought it’d be fun to have you.”

America sighed. He hated when Russia acted this way. He was feeling too sick to try to coax answers out of the other nation. Alfred pulled at the restraints on his wrists. From what he could tell they were a normal pair of handcuffs. He couldn’t even feel anything connecting them to the ground. He could be out of them in moments. He pictured himself free of them and on his feet. What could he do then? Throw up on Russia probably. It was tempting but didn’t solve anything.

“That sounds great. We can have a sleep over and do each other’s hair,’ said Alfred finally finding the energy to look around the room. It was a small mud room of sorts that he could see led to a large beautiful garden. The door to his right was open to the garden while an open entryway to his left led to the inside of the home. Also on his left was a small table with syringes, pills and all sorts of bottles. Ivan was planning a party.

“I’m happy you’re so excited but I think I have a better idea,” said Ivan going up to the table.

“Ivan, come on. Didn’t you ever hear my first lady? Just say no. We can have fun without all that.”

The Russian didn’t answer him. He grabbed a small clear bottle in one hand and a small silver tray. He also kicked a chair that had been in the corner of the room so that it was right in front of Alfred. Ivan sat down before him and put down the tray on the ground. Alfred saw that it was actually full of small surgical tools. He opened his mouth to ask Russia just what exactly he thought he was going to do with the tools but before he could say anything Russia poured some of the liquid from the bottle over the wound on his knee. His scream rung in his own ears.

Russia frowned. “Do not be a baby.”

“Go fuck yourself you crazy commie mother fucker!” America focused on trying to get his hands free. He needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

Russia put a hand on his chest. “You’re too weak to get away and if you break the handcuffs I will drug you again.”

America glared at the man in front of him but didn’t fight against his handcuffs. The Russian ripped open his pants to have better access to the wound. The bullet was still inside of Alfred and for a horrible moment he thought Ivan might try to look for it. The Russian thankfully knew better and instead started preparing needle and thread to sew up the injury. America gritted his teeth throughout the procedure as Russia wasn’t a particularly gentle nurse but he wasn’t malicious either. When he finished America expected him to put away his tools but instead found the Russian motioning him to turn around.

“Your back is much worse. We need to clean it at least.”

Alfred tensed at the idea of having alcohol poured down his back. He could try resisting but Ivan might really drug him again. He swiveled on the stool so his back was to Ivan. The alcohol burned horribly but this time he managed not to scream by clenching his teeth. His whole face ached with the effort. The remnant of his shirt was stripped off him to get to the injuries. The center of his back was the worst hit so Ivan pieced it together as best he could. A normal human would have died but Alfred not only survived, he would be back to normal in a few days. The scars might take a few months to disappear but they would with time. The only scars that remained on them were those that represented their history.

Ivan covered the injuries with gauze. He had to wrap Alfred’s back by encircling him in his arms as he ran the material but when he finished to Alfred’s surprise his arms remained firmly around him. At this distance the vodka smell on his breath was overpowering.

“Uh, Ivan? What are you doing?”

The pressing of lips to his neck made his eyes open wide with shock. It couldn’t be.

“Tell me all of that wasn’t foreplay,” said America with horror in his voice.

Ivan chuckled softly next to his ear. “All right. It was not foreplay.”

The Russian lowered a hand to cup America through what was left of his pants. He massaged him as he suckled on his shoulders. The physical contact might have caused an unwanted physical reaction in the American on another day but between the blood loss and pain killers he didn’t have any energy to react with.

“Nearly half a decade of cold war and you pull this now? This isn’t even how it’s done anymore Ivan. All that bullshit about vital regions is laughed out of the UN these days,” said Alfred leaning back against him. He was surprised at how detached he was about what was going on. He was too weak to even care.

“Sometimes the old ways are best,” said Russia as he grinded up against America’s back. He seemed to give up on getting any sort of reaction from America’s member and moved his hand up instead to his stomach.

“What happened to always moving forward to a glorious future?” asked Alfred. He was practically in Russia’s lap at this point but he didn’t care. He even leaned his head back until it fit comfortably against the hollow in Ivan’s neck. He was in danger of falling asleep snuggled up against his worst enemy if he got any more comfortable.

“Things change,” was the only response from the voice above him. Russia seemed to realize that America might lose consciousness. He leaned over slightly to take something from the tray on the floor and pushed it up against America’s lips.

America looked down to see a pill and tried to pull his head away. Russia’s arms around him tightened like iron clamps. “I don’t want it,” said America with clenched teeth.

“It will make things easier for you,” said Russia warmly as he kissed the side of America’s face. “You will be in a lot of pain soon.”

America thought over his options again. He could guess what the pill would be but he didn’t want to make things any easier for Ivan. “I’d rather take the pain.”

Ivan clicked his tongue in disappointment but he put the pill in his pocket. He then let go of Alfred and stood to put the tray back on the table. Alfred’s world swam at the lack of support and he almost fell of the chair. He’d just managed to regain it when Russia came back and backhanded him. Alfred didn’t even feel the blow. His world was just an explosion of pain across his face and on his back as he was thrown from the chair to the floor from the strength of it. He focused on breathing and trying to get the world to stop spinning. Before he could manage it Ivan’s foot slammed into his stomach and drove the breath from him again. The Russian didn’t stop. He slammed his foot over and over into Alfred’s body as the American curled in on himself instinctively. Alfred’s world was one of pain and fear as he anticipated each hit. Finally Russia’s foot slammed on to his head and Alfred stopped thinking.

Alfred could hear sounds and see colors around him but he didn’t know what they meant. A soft cooing noise above him scared him somehow but he couldn’t stop himself from following its orders. Something small was put into his mouth and washed down with a liquid that made his throat burn. He tried to cough and nearly chocked. The cooing noise was next to his ear now and he could feel things being taken off him. The breeze on his skin felt good and reminded him that he had a body and a face. He remembered himself as the room came into focus.

Ivan had him naked on a bed with clean sheets. The handcuffs were gone for some reason as well. Perhaps the Russia rightly understood that the American was in no state to put up a fight. The smell of Alfred’s blood overpowered the room. Whatever Ivan had given him was strong enough to allow him to lift his head and look around. Ivan was at the foot of the bed staring at him. He had a half empty bottle of vodka in one hand and his penis in the other. His hand seemed to be having little effect on it.

“Why do it if you have to work yourself up to it?” asked Alfred with curiosity.

The Russian smiled at him in that horrible way of his. He looked as if he was only discussing the weather. “You do not understand. You never have. In the end we must both play our parts.”

“Is today the end?” asked Alfred in confusion. If nuclear war was about to happen, fate should have made sure he was in his country.

“No,” said Russia taking another drag from the bottle. “But it comes soon.”

Alfred shivered. The drug Russia had given him was making him feel quite warm. He wanted Russia’s cold skin against him. “We might as well get it over with then. I need to go home.”

Russia nodded and grabbed a bottle from the floor. He climbed onto the bed and pushed America on to his stomach. Alfred barely felt any pain as he did so. He wondered idly if Russia had given him more drugs before the pill.

The bottle turned out to be oil. Alfred focused on it and tried to reason what it was needed for. He had never done anything like what Ivan was planning. He should have been scared. Hell, he should have been terrified. He was too confused and tired to be terrified. He just wanted everything to be over before that changed.

Russia poured the oil on him and put a hand on his buttocks. Alfred’s breath hitched as he felt Russia push himself against him. Russia was only half hard and he ended up just rubbing himself against him. Ivan cursed under his breath and paused to do something Alfred couldn’t see before trying again. He seemed to be trying to get himself hard. Alfred felt the flesh push against him again but nothing changed. The Russian rubbed himself over and over on Alfred but his penis only seemed to become even more flaccid. This repeated for a few minutes until the oil was spread all over them both. Ivan let him go to do something again.

Alfred missed the contact. He tried to turn around but Ivan pushed him back on his stomach. A warmth had been building in his stomach every time Russia had rubbed up against him and he could feel a stirring in his groin. No doubt this was what Russia had meant by the pill making this easier.

“Have you ever done this before?” asked Alfred with something like frustration.

“Заткнись” said Ivan as he walked away from the bed. He started throwing things around the room as he looked for something. 

“I haven’t,” said Alfred conversationally. He managed to turn himself to the side and tried to focus on the Russian. Ivan was unsteady on his feet and wobbled as he walked around. He made Alfred’s head spin with all the movement. 

Finally Ivan found what he was looking for and returned to the bed. Ivan opened up a small pill bottle in his hand and managed to get one of the pills inside. He didn’t immediately take it however. Instead he held it up and stared at it.  Alfred stared at it too. “Is that going to allow you to hurt me?” 

Ivan looked away from the pill and down at him. “I have already hurt you.” 

The warmth in Alfred’s stomach was growing worse. He was half hard himself at his point and with Russia looming above him he couldn’t stop his uninjured leg from brushing against the other man. “You’ve shot me before. I’ve shot you before. It’s an old game. You don’t want to change it.” Alfred wasn’t sure what he expected. Trying to convince Ivan to do something almost always resulted in him doing the opposite.

Alfred was sure he was right though. Ivan didn’t want to do this. He wondered why he was. 

Russia looked back at the pill once more before throwing it against the wall. Alfred’s confused brain followed it’s trajectory so he didn’t notice the Russian bending over him until he felt his mouth on his neck. Alfred turned his face to try to kiss him but Ivan turned his face away. This annoyed Alfred somewhat until he felt Ivan take hold of his penis. He gasped and tried to pull Ivan as close to him as he could. No matter what he did he couldn’t get enough contact. Ivan’s hand job wasn’t very good but in Alfred’s current state it felt like heaven.  Without thinking Alfred palmed Ivan’s half hard penis and stroked. Ivan tried to pull away but a needy groan from Alfred stopped him. They both tried to get the other off as they intertwined on the bed.

Ivan’s earlier problem was a non-issue as he got closer and closer to cumming in Alfred’s care. Suddenly though, Ivan pulled away.   Alfred moaned in frustration as Ivan moved to grab something from the side of the bed. Russia came up holding the vodka bottle and opened it above America. He poured what was left in the bottle over America’s face making him cough. 

“Open your mouth,” said Russia as America turned his face away.

Alfred followed his order in the hope that it would get him to touch him again. Once his mouth was full of vodka the Russian spoke again. “Spit it out.” Alfred obeyed the command eagerly as he realized what was happening. Russia did this twice more before finally leaning over him and kissing him.

America wrapped his arms around the Russian as his mouth was invaded. Ivan wasn’t a very good kisser either but Alfred was in no state to care. He wanted contact desperately. Russia finally took hold of his penis again and America returned the favor. Finally a few minutes later a groan escaped the man above him and he stopped moving as Alfred felt his penis spasm in his hand.

Russia went limp and the extra weight put pressure on his injured back but Alfred enjoyed the feeling of having Ivan in his arms sated. When the Russian made to move he wrapped his arms more tightly around him. Alfred was still hard and his penis was bumping against Ivan’s stomach. Once he caught his breath Ivan kissed him again.

“Let me go,” ordered Ivan as he tried to lean back to look at him. Alfred reluctantly did so but to his surprise Ivan just moved down his body. When Ivan reached his groin he leaned forward and took the tip of his member in his mouth. Alfred gasped and thrust up involuntarily. Russia leaned back against the thrust but didn’t seem bothered by it. He suckled on the tip as his hands grabbed at his hips. He didn’t seem to know what to do but eventually tried to take more of Alfred into his mouth. The movement was awkward and hesitant and overall Russia was very bad at it but America didn’t give a shit. He put a hand in the Russian’s hair and tried to thrust shallowly into him again. This was allowed and Alfred took full advantage of it. He thrust up again and again into the Russian’s mouth as it swallowed him. The sight and feeling were too much and in minutes America had found that sweet spot that sent him over the edge. He climaxed into Ivan’s mouth and saw him startle as the first of his cum hit the back of his throat. He tried to swallow it but gave it up and let it dribble out of his mouth and on to Alfred’s legs.

Alfred closed his eyes and focused on the feel of Ivan’s hair in his hands. He was tired beyond belief and only wanted to curl up around the Russian as he drifted off. Ivan asked him a question but he was already drifting in and out of consciousness. The Russian moved and Alfred lost the feeling of his hair in his hand. He tried to open his eyes to look for him but he felt Russia’s arms wrapped around him as he lay on bed behind him. He leaned against him and knew no more.

He woke up again hours later to a dark room. He desperately needed to go to the restroom but he couldn’t figure out where he was. He tried to get up and only managed to stumble off the bed. Every part of his body screamed with pain. He gave up the idea of trying to find a restroom and pissed on the floor. He knew he couldn’t stay where he was but he couldn’t find the energy to move. He crawled back into the bed and lay there trying to conquer the ache of his body. The room came into focus as his eyes adjusted to the light. He was in the bedroom Russia had taken him into. Ivan was nowhere to be seen and all of their clothes were gone. He saw something white next to him on the bed and picked it up. It was a piece of paper and a small pill was taped on it. The words ‘Only for pain’ were written in a familiar hand in English. Alfred took off the pill and swallowed it. He lay on the bed as he waited for it to have an effect.

As his pain dulled he took in more of the room. It smelled of blood, piss and sex. He himself smelled mostly of vodka but he was covered in all sorts of fluids. After what seemed like an eternity the pain reduced enough to allow him to stand up. He could see two doors in the room. The first led to the rest of the house and the second led to a small bathroom. He managed to get into the shower and turn on the water. The aches in his muscles were somewhat soothed by the hot water but it made the rest of him feel sluggish. He didn’t even bother with soap. The water ran brown with dried blood so he tried to take stock of his injuries. His gunshot wounds still hurt badly. His back would be hideous for a while until he could heal. He suspected his ribs had been broken but they seemed to be on the mend already.

He made it out of the shower and went to try to look at the rest of the house. To his relief he found a closet full of clothing right outside of the room he’d been in. Men and women’s clothing was hung neatly and baby clothes were folded in a dresser. He wondered briefly about the owners of the house but tried his best to put it out of his mind. He probably didn’t want to know that story. The man’s clothing was a little tight but he managed to find something to fit him. Shoes were a bigger problem but he found a pair of sandals that fit all right.

He explored the rest of the house but found nothing of note. Finally he made it to the kitchen and found a telephone. He picked up the line and to his relief a dial tone came on. He wondered if Ivan had the line tapped for information but knew that even if he did, he didn’t have the energy to leave the country by himself.

He called his emergency contact number and heard all hell break loose on the other side. Helicopters and agents were scrambled at a moment’s notice. Langley and half of Washington was woken up when he relayed Ivan’s message of the end happening soon. Less than fifteen minutes after hanging up he was being escorted into a vehicle on its way to the airport. Half an hour later he was in the air and on his way back home. He wondered if the body of Cpt. Daniels was somewhere in the cargo bay. Alfred leaned his head against the cool glass of the plane as agents around him tried to debrief him. He wanted sleep but he knew he wouldn’t get it tonight.

He told them about his original mission, how Daniels had died and how Ivan had beat him. Everything beyond that became a practiced tale of fiction. He could see doubts in some of their faces. If he had been human they might have questioned why Ivan had let him go so easily but no one could question the loyalty of their own nation.

Once in Washington he was passed from one department to another. Each one checked sources and information trying to see what exactly Ivan could have been talking about when he spoke about the end. NATO was informed of course. They all had questions that Alfred was in no mood to answer so once they had been told the basic facts Alfred refused to take their phone calls. Arthur and Mathew were not pleased with the official statement of course but they could not voice their true displeasure in such a diplomatically delicate time.

Finally at noon of the following day the United States of America was allowed to relax. All departments had been allowed to question him, no credible soviet threats could be found by himself or his allies and Alfred’s continued involvement wasn’t necessary.

Alfred went home. He felt like sleeping until the end of the 20th century. He walked into his quiet Washington home and found it was hard to imagine that the last 48 hours had happened. He’d had a shower since coming home but he took another one just to be sure. He couldn’t get the vodka smell out of his nose. He went to his bedroom and laid down to sleep but couldn’t seem to lose consciousness even with the medication the pentagon doctors had prescribed.

An idea came to him as he laid there and he picked up the phone next to his bed to dial a number he hadn’t dialed in years.

“Alio?” answered a sleepy voice on the other side of the world.

“Don’t tell me you’re already asleep? Those soviets must be working you pretty hard,” said Alfred glancing at the digital clock on his nightstand. It was only a 7 hour difference after all.

The line went silent for a moment. “Alfred?”

“How’s it going Toris?” he asked with a smile on his face. He could picture his friend’s bewilderment.

“Alfred, why are you calling me? What is the matter?”

It really had been a long time. He’d forgotten how panicked Lithuania could act. Although perhaps in this instance it was warranted. “Toris, I need to ask you something. I know I’m asking a lot but I think you’re the only one who can help me. Is something wrong with Russia?”

Lithuania went quite on the other side of the line. He was under very strict rules when it came to speaking to America and he could no doubt get in trouble for answering such a question.

Alfred didn’t want to see his friend hurt but nuclear war was not something to be taken lightly. “I need to know Toris. For everyone’s sake. He’s not acting like himself.”

“I know. It’s just… things are changing around here Alfred.”

“I’ve heard about some of the changes Toris. Gorbachev’s policies-“

“It isn’t just policies Alfred,” said Toris cutting him off. “Everything is changing. The people. The party. They’re losing control. If we’re lucky and we’re careful, we might be able to get free.”

“Are you sure?” asked America in shock. “You think he will let you go?”

“I’m not sure but things have changed so much. We all have. Not even he can stop it. He will try of course. That’s what scares us all. We don’t know how far he’s willing to go to remain in control.”

America thought of that. It fit with what Russia had said about the end. If he really thought he was about to lose all his power it made sense that he’d want to win one last victory over Alfred. He wondered what it meant for them all that Ivan hadn’t been able to finish that last awful step.

“Thank you for telling me Toris. I know how dangerous this can be for you.”

Lithuania chuckled darkly into the phone. “It is dangerous for us all. You too should worry about what he will do when he finally knows it is the end. He might do something mad. You need to be careful.”

Alfred’s mind ran back to that horrible bed and he closed his eyes. “I will be.”

 “I need to go Alfred. I will call you. Hopefully soon.”

“Good luck,” said Alfred and the line went dead a second later.

Alfred put the phone down and thought things over. He wondered if independence for Toris was even possible. Russia could be very violent when his power was threatened. He too prayed that his friend stayed safe.

America finally laid his head down to sleep. He, like the rest of the world, would have to wait and see. The world was about to change drastically and Russia wouldn’t be able to stop it. Alfred wondered just how lonely and afraid his rival would be once he was all alone. That thought was his last before he fell asleep and helped to chase away his nightmares.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this after watching the Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games. The beginning is certainly inspired by that. The rest is just trying to get into the head of a falling empire. A sequel detailing events before the 1991 coup may someday be finished.


End file.
